


names

by imaquailcat



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Fairies, Gen, Kidnapping, Not Beta Read, au where instead of a dragon fire spirit makes a deal with a very specific fairy, bullshitted attempts at fairy lore with no basis in actual fairy lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 13:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19888279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaquailcat/pseuds/imaquailcat
Summary: Only a fool would make a deal with the fae.





	names

**Author's Note:**

> I don't feel like this fandom acknowledges enough that Sea Fairy is, y'know, a fairy, so here's my offering.

There was a rocky beach not far from the town, beneath a sharp cliff. Though it was difficult to reach, the sights were gorgeous, and the ocean’s water clear. There was a time when many would visit the beach to splash and play in the sea. However, one day, a child disappeared. Their shoes were found in a small cave in the cliff face, sitting inside a ring of mushrooms. After that, not many felt very keen on visiting the area again.

According to rumors, the child’s disappearance was caused by a fairy. Recklessly speaking to one was dangerous, after all – the fae do have a tendency to take things literally. Some thought this shouldn’t discourage others from going to the beach, however. After all, only fools would try to speak with the fae.

-

He was an ambitious, reckless child, always boasting about the many great things he’d do when he grew up. This wasn’t unusual for a child, of course – the odd thing was how he never grew out of it. While other children would become more humble, more careful, and less self-centered with age, it seemed the scratches on his leg and the bragging for his as-of-yes incomplete achievements only grew. It wasn’t long before others started to worry – surely his ambition would get him into trouble one day?

This didn’t seem to be the case, however. He was all talk, no action – it seemed he was too frightened to go through with any of his wild plans. Somewhat cowardly, sure, but it certainly kept him from getting himself hurt.

For a while, anyway.

-

She was a restless soul, confined to a small cave. She wanted nothing more than to roam the world, freer than the waters of the sea she had once called home, but it was much too dangerous for her. Every time she so much as stepped outside the ring that protected her, her body would freeze up, leaving her unable to so much as blink until the child found and thawed her.

The child was a kind, happy soul. Sometimes, she regretted stealing them away from their former life. It had ultimately been pointless – though they could save her when she froze, she was still unable to move freely.

She had recently begun to grow worried. After she had taken the child, humans had stopped visiting the beach outside her cave. Without anyone she could try and work with, she could end up confined to the cave for the rest of her life.

Yet, one morning, she could hear the familiar sound of feet on rocks. It seemed, for the first time in decades, that she had a visitor.

For the first time since she had taken the child, the Sea Fairy smiled.

-

The rocky beach was uneven, and he kept tripping over his own feet. His body was covered in fresh cuts and bruises, and he was beginning to see why children were so heavily discouraged from visiting the beach. Perhaps it was too dangerous for young people – but he was an adult, now, no a child.

Maybe, his mind supplied, the story of the fairy had been fabricated as an excuse to keep the children away. The cliff was smooth with few outcroppings to step on, and the climb down had been difficult. A reckless child could easily fall to their death. Even if they made their way down safely, many of the rocks were rather sharp. If that were the case, his trip here would be for nothing…

 _No,_ he thought, shaking his head. The old man always got rather emotional when he mentioned his missing sibling. That wasn’t fabricated emotion. The child had definitely disappeared, which meant there was a chance the rumor was true. The fairy lived near this beach, and he intended to find her.

He had considered a dragon. The stories of the terrifying red beast that lived near a volcano were definitely not just fiction – he had seen the charred ruins of the towns it had destroyed. Yet, trying to make a deal with a dragon seemed rather dangerous. They were many times larger than him, and it would be difficult to escape or attack one if he accidentally angered it. A fairy, on the other hand…

There were many tales of the dangerous trickery of the fae, who could twist anything that you said. He wasn’t worried about them, however – he could watch his words just fine, and surely a dainty fairy wouldn’t be that hard to overpower in a fight. Yes, the fairy was a much safer option than the dragon.

_If she’s real, anyway._

No, he couldn’t sink into that train of thought. All he had to do was find the cave where the child had disappeared, and he could find the fairy. Surely, a gaping cave in the otherwise smooth cliff face would be easy to spot.

During the climb down, he had lost his shoes. Some rocks were smooth enough to step on, but they were few and far between. His feet ached something terrible from the many missteps onto much sharper stones. His mood wasn’t helped by the heavy fog hanging near the ground, or the loud crashing of waves not far away. It seemed as though the beach itself was trying to discourage him from continuing on this doomed quest. He wouldn’t be swayed, though. This was his one chance to follow up on all his promises from childhood.

From a young age, he had been determined to do something fantastic. It was unlikely, of course – there were many knights and heroes of legend who had completed the most remarkable tasks imaginable. There were others who had fallen due to their ambition. The bar was high, and the risk higher. But he wasn’t worried about that.

He continued walking for what could be thirty minutes or an hour. The fog blocked out any sunlight and made it impossible for him to tell what time it was. His legs began to ache, but he continued to move steadfastly across the beach. Surely, he’s come across the cave soon.

_Or I went the wrong way._

_Or it doesn’t exist._

He shut his eyes and shook his head, determined to complete his quest. He’d never get anywhere with that mindset.

After several minutes, he slowly opened his eyes once again. He jolted, surprised to see another figure in the fog. At first, he thought they were a moving corpse – their skin was dangerously pale, after all – but quickly realizing that wasn’t the case. They were blinking, and their eyes were bright and blue – not glassy at all. They were a child, dressed in a sailor outfit, clutching a conch shell. Much like him, their feet were bare.

“Hello?” He questioned, a worried tone to his voice. He had never considered coming to the beach when he was that young – the stories told had always frightened him away. So what was this child doing here?

“I’m very happy to see you.” The child smiled faintly. “My mother has been waiting for a visitor.”

“Your mother? Where is she?”

The child pointed to the cliff face. He followed where they were pointing, shocked to see the fog clear slightly and reveal the jagged opening to a cave.

He turned to face the child. “How did you-?”

They had disappeared.

He shook his head. _I must have imagined it._ Regardless, he had certainly found a cave. If this was the right one, it seemed his goal was finally within his reach. He started walking toward the opening, slowly at first but gaining speed quickly. Completely disregarding the pain in his feet, he began to sprint. The aches were just a minor setback. If he was successful, though, this would result in lifelong rewards.

He came to the opening quickly and clambered over the sharp stalagmites. The inside of the cave was surprisingly smooth, nary a hole or jag in sight. The rock inside the cave was beautiful, marbled with a reddish-brown and pale blue-gray. It shined, as though recently polished. _Odd._ In the middle of the cave, just as the tales had described, was a ring of white mushrooms. They came in various sizes, the largest looking as though it would reach midway up his thigh with a cap the size of a dinner plate. This was certainly the right cave, but the fairy ring was empty.

His heart fell. Maybe the child really had gone missing in this cave, but it seemed that, if she was real, the fairy wasn’t present at the moment. Feet heavy, he stepped into the ring and knelt over. His fingers traced two of the marbled patterns in the stone shaped vaguely like a shoe small enough to fit a child.

“Greetings.”

He jolted, turning quickly. There was a figure there, in a lovely blue dress. His eyes trailed up the lovely, shimmering blue fabric until they met those of the stranger - pale blue, framed by cascading water-like hair. Their skin was dotted with freckle-like blue and pink scales. This person certainly wasn’t human. _Is this the fairy?_

“Stand,” she commanded. Her teeth were plentiful and needle-sharp. “I have no interest in speaking with one who clearly has no respect for himself.”

He hurriedly stood, not wanting to disobey her. She carried an aura of control and certainty in her decisions, as if she knew more than he ever could. Even stood with his back straight, he had to tilt his head up to make eye contact with her; she was noticeably taller than him. _I thought the fae were supposed to be short?_

“No humans have come here in a long time,” the Fairy stated. Her somewhat musical voice was soft, yet attention-grabbing, like the soft waves of the ocean at sunset. Aside from a faint trace of curiosity in her eyes, her face betrayed no emotion. “Why have you?”

It took him a moment to find his voice. “Fairy, I have come to make a deal.”

He had expected resistance. He had expected to need to bargain with or event fight her, both of which he had been prepared for. He had not expected her to smile and nod.

“Very well. I’m more than willing to discuss such a topic, but I have no intention of doing business with a stranger.” The Fairy extended her hands, a motion which would have been welcoming if it hadn’t revealed the webs between her fingers. “Now, may I have your name?”

And, foolishly, he gave it to her.

**Author's Note:**

> You're welcome.  
> My Cookie Run Tumblr is thunder-snow-yeti, feel free to check me out there~


End file.
